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Transport Innovation Fund

I shall ask for inquiries to be made about the provision of advance sight of today’s statement. All that I know is that I asked that it, together with the supporting documents, be in the hands of the official Opposition an hour beforehand, which is the normal practice. I must say that that did not always happen in my time in opposition, but I do feel strongly about this issue and if something has gone wrong, I apologise. I will find out what happened, given that it appears to have happened to both principal spokesmen. The transport innovation fund will rise from about £290 million to £2.5 billion by 2014–15. It is part of the additional money allocated to the Department for Transport in last year’s spending review. The purpose of the fund is specifically to support innovative projects to tackle congestion and improve productivity. It is in addition to the normal course of funding that the Department embarks on, whether it be for local authorities, the Highways Agency, railways or whatever. The vast majority of the Department’s budget is allocated in that way and the fund is supplementary. The hon. Gentleman asked specifically about funding for pensioners’ travel. As he will know, the Chancellor allocated an additional £350 million in the last Budget. That is a completely distinct amount, which is available from next year. It is wholly separate from the transport innovation fund. I take the hon. Gentleman’s point that, at this stage, before a pilot scheme has been established, it is impossible to evaluate it. My point is that if we as a country decide to make the change, it would be foolish to switch over from the present system to something entirely new without having seen, tried and tested a system. That is why I would encourage local authorities or groups of local authorities to work with us to achieve that. I repeat the point that I made to the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton—that the transport innovation fund is also available for other measures. I used the example of Manchester, which has the opportunity to put in a bid, so the fund is not exclusively for road pricing. That is why I said that the transport innovation fund is about the transport innovation fund.